THE AMERICAN (includes trailer)
November 25th 2010 22:01
In the words of an anonymous friend, “I don't like George Clooney, but I love George Clooney films”. It seems these days that a film with Clooney in it, is by default, a seal of approval. With the star of Syriana, Michael Clayton and Three Kings taking the lead role of the assassin with many names, director Anton Corbjin (Control) takes a stab at the tried and true formula of the 'hitman taking on one last job'. I've always personally taken a shine to Clooney's presence, and while he may have a limited range, the man can sure as hell carry a film. The American calls for this kind of leading presence in it's central, enigmatic role and the results certainly have merit worth mentioning.
Clooney plays Jack/Edward, an American who snakes along the winding roads of an old Italian village, awaiting his final task from his insidious employer. The setup unfolds at a leisurely pace, some time after we have witnessed the opening scene where Jack kills his girlfriend with out blinking an eye. Jack has the ability to coldly detach himself from the kill, which he has to be prepared to do at any given second, unfortunately for Jack's girlfriend, she just got in the way of his job.
The American is filled with long stretches of silent reflectiveness. Clooney is easily able to convey the dilemma of Jack, who is unable to get close to anyone that he would have to be prepared to kill as a part of his vicious line of work, if they were to bear witness to any part of his job. The Dichotomy of Jack's detached existence is that he seems to crave this human contact the way a soul would crave food or water. This is all psychological as Corbjin's still camera penetrates Clooney's face, similar to how Peckinpah did with Steve McQueen in The Getaway or Melville did with Alain Delon in Le Samourai. These desires are never verbalised but communicated through looks, played out through scenes of isolation, which stretch on, as if they initially serve no purpose, but then come into immediate focus, the moment Clooney shares a scene with an actor.
The American seems to be a European's view of Americans, it captures the strange insulation that Europeans seems to find indicative of Americans. Their sense of exile from any sort of culture or history and this is what lurks beneath the surface in Corbjins film. Indeed, Clooney's presence will attract crowds to this film, but The American hurries up for no one and audiences will have to either settle in to the film's slower pace, which eventually rewards with suspense, but is more interested in taking the scenic route, rather than providing an action packed pay off.
The American explores this western phenomenon of surpressing where we have come from, as Clooney is surrounded by beautiful architecture, scenery and history every where he looks. The film is usually filled with something beautiful, whether it be architecture or women, we are always aware of the influence one culture has had on the next. It's easy to see what attracted Anton Corbjin, who was originally a photographer, to this film (in fact Jack announces his cover to an old Italian priest as a photographer). The American consists of either Clooney brooding away, as he portrays a man who has clearly become uncomfortable with his own existence, or in scenes of duologue, where the two leading woman in this film, as well as a priest can see into his soul. Jack may seem like a closed book, but the spine is old and bent, and the pages are brittle and frayed - perhaps he is loosing his edge.
While Corbjin uses his still photograph sensibilities to once again instill a photographic beauty to the story telling, this approach doesn't quite work as well as it did in his first and previous film, Control. While Control was charged with a sense of passion and focus, The American wonders in nostalgia, ultimately making it a solid film - but never a fantastic one. Clooney's performance makes do and gets the point across, but it would have taken a more accomplished actor to further bring out the dimensions of this film, which it so clearly relies on the lead performance to do.
The central story unfolds when history threatens to repeat itself. Jack visits a prostitute repeatedly, and when she begins to fall for him on a much more personal level, Jack is torn between his paranoia, his own fondness for her and a sense of the inevitable creeping up on him. Eventually The American forms a very interesting web of intrigue, where no one around Jack is guarenteed to be who they may appear as. The American is a meditative film, that is always solid but never a stand out one, Clooney is as charming as ever, his appeal is hard to deny and he does a very decent job in a film that unfortunately always gives you the sense that something is missing from it.
While The American feels like a rehash of many films, it's approach and style to the material still makes it seem like a breath of fresh air in the current climate of forgettable cinematic product. As many times as we have seen the path that Jack goes down, it's always a pleasure to watch it again, when such though has been put into it.
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Seems Clooney continues to choose good scripts and great filmmakers to bring them alive. This one is on my list already, will return once I have seen it.
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
No worries Johnny Doe. I think you'll enjoy this, alhthough I recommend you curb your expectations to get the most out of your viewing...
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight